The Prince's Dragon (on hiatus)
by TsunaidaMay
Summary: When Bakugou Katsuki finds an injured dragon, he decides to take care of it, only to learn later that the dragon is also a shapeshifter. Together they'll go on a great adventure. KiriBaku fic. Currently on hiatus. Don't know if I'll come back to this or rewrite the concept entirely. Read at own risk.
1. Chapter 1

Bakugou had wandered off into the woods. It had taken him great effort to get rid of his stupid servants that would blindly follow him around. 'Just because I'm a fucking prince doesn't mean I can't do anything,' he gnarled at no one in particular.

He kicked a rock down into the ravine that he was travelling past.

He jumped up a ledge with ease as he hoisted himself further onto the rocky formation, reaching a vantage point where he could look over the entirety of his kingdom. Even though his tribe was less advanced than some in the area, their rules and hierarchy were respected and they were mostly left alone due to the intimidating aura all of their rulers had emitted over the years.

Bakugou had been annoyed by his status as soon as he started to learn the meaning of it. After all those years of rather peaceful ruling, his position had become nothing more than a show. The tribe needed a ruler or else the entire group would fall apart into chaos, but all of the decisions were made by the counsel, and there was never any warfare or anything the like.

Life as a prince was rather boring. Bakugou snuck out every chance he got, but the more he did it, the more they kept an eye on him, making it harder for him every single time. Even so, he was famous for being able to disappear.

He sat down on the edge of the rock, looking over as the sun started to slowly set, basking the world in the colorful colors of twilight. He clicks his tongue. 'What use is it if I'm just a pawn,' he speaks his thoughts out loud.

From the distance, he can hear something growling dangerously. He jumps to his feet and looks around, seeing a cloud of smoke in the distance not so far away from him.

He reaches out for the knife on his belt, making sure that he's carrying it on him as he starts to run. Winding through the trees, carefully jumping over roots sticking out of the ground, he reaches a plain surrounded by caves.

On the right he can see someone taking off on a black horse. Bakugou wants to call out for him, but his attention is attracted to something completely different.

On the other side of the plain, there is a huge creature. Its scales bright red, at least 35 feet long, its breathing heavy as Bakugou starts closing the distance between the two of them. Its body is covered in spikes in all shapes and sizes and its claws might be bigger than Bakugou's body.

He slips the knife back into its sheath, knowing that such a small weapon won't do anything against a huge dragon like this.

As he takes a closer look he can see the damage the other person has left on the creature. The dragon's body is covered in gashes so big that the thick dragon's blood is easily pouring out.

Bakugou places a hand on the body. The dragon notices the touch and opens its eyes wide as it tries to get up, panic flaring through its body, awaiting more pain.

Bakugou instantly notices the state the creature is in and moves towards its head, placing his hand on the dragon's nose and rubbing it softly.

'I'm going to help you,' he says, trying to sound reassuring but also firm.

The dragon looks at him. Bakugou is unable to read the creature's expression, but he keeps staring at him, until the dragon closes his eyes and lays his head down.

'Don't move,' Bakugou orders the creature as he takes off towards the woods again.

He looks carefully at the ground, looking for roots and plants that will help him clean the creature's wounds. When he returns he notices that the dragon has indeed not moved.

He sits himself down on the ground, stripping the roots of bark and mashing them together into something that should help healing. He was taught all of this by his tribe. He never thought he would actually have any use for it, but right now he's glad he had memorized it anyways.

He gets up, holding the mush of roots and plants in his hand and slowly moves back towards the dragon. Touching the damaged scales around the wounds make the creature flinch.

'This'll hurt,' Bakugou says.

The dragon closes its eyes again as Bakugou applies the mixture. As he carefully rubs it in the dragon bristles and blows steam out of its nose.

Bakugou doesn't take a break and continues to put the medicine on all the wounds before thinking of a way to stitch the wounds shut. He isn't even sure any needle could pierce a dragon's skin.

When Bakugou climbs on the back of the creature to see if there's any more damage, he notices a blade sticking out between the creature's shoulder blades. It makes Bakugou incredibly angry.

Dragon hunting isn't uncommon, but leaving it to die like this is simply cruel. Many people that set out to hunt a dragon mean to kill it, taking home a part of it so they can prove their bravery. This attack wasn't for honor, it was for fun. It makes Bakugou mad beyond belief.

He places his hands on the blade and takes it out in one swift movement, making the dragon cry out in pain. The wound is small, so he leaves it as he jumps down, holding the blade in his hands. He'll take it to his counsel, inquiring as to where the blade might've come from.

The dragon looks at him expectantly.

'I can't do anything for you anymore,' Bakugou tells it.

The dragon bristles.

Bakugou looks around. The sun has set further than he'd expected and he has to go back before getting scolded by his parents again.

Bakugou places his hand on the creature's nose while looking it in the eye. 'I'll come back tomorrow.'

The dragon leans into his hand, indicating that he trusts the teen as he takes off.

Bakugou doesn't have much trouble finding his way back to camp, but as he gets scolded at and sent to his room, the uneasy feeling of leaving the helpless creature behind gets to him.

He rolls over, draping his fur lined cape of his shoulders as he promises to himself to help the dragon as much as he can tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Even before the break of dawn, Bakugou is already awake, waiting for the sun to rise to light his path through the forest. As he's winding his way through the trees, he can make out the red outline of the immense dragon's body easily.

The creature hasn't moved at all since Bakugou left it the previous night and makes a stone appear in the blonde's stomach as he fears the worst. As he approaches, the creature slowly lifts its head to look at the boy, and Bakugou feels somewhat relieved.

As he comes closer he reaches out, softly patting the scaly nose again, feeling its hot breath against his palm as it breathes out. Bakugou reaches back and swings a satchel over his shoulder as he sits down with his legs crossed. He rummages through the bag and pulls out several pieces of food and a big sack of water. 'It isn't a lot for someone your size, but I thought it'd be better than nothing,' Bakugou says, his eyes cast downwards as he unwraps the food to feed the dragon.

He holds out a piece of bread, looking expectantly at the creature as it seizes up his intentions. A long pink tongue rolls out, wrapping itself around the food as it disappears into the huge mouth. Bakugou grabbed everything he could carry, yet feeding such a huge dragon is an impossible task on his own.

He pulls off a piece for himself and starts to chew, leaning back as the creature rummages through all the other things lying on the ground next to the blonde's feet. Even though the food isn't much, the dragon seems to become more lively the more it eats.

Bakugou gets to his feet and holds out the water for him. The dragon obediently opens its mouth as the teen pours it in, watching its eyes gleam in satisfaction. Bakugou puts the water back down and then moves around the dragon, eyeing its skin to see how the wounds are holding up.

To his surprise, most of the wounds have already begun to heal, though the process is slow. The creature lays its head back down and closes its eyes as it starts to breathe evenly, sleeping to recharge its energy.

Even though Bakugou had just woken up, it was still early and he could care for some more sleep. He sat down next to the gigantic creature, leaning his back against its scales as he dozes off.

* * *

When Bakugou wakes up again, he's lying on the ground. He quickly rubs his eyes as he looks at the position of the sun, indicating that it isn't much past ten. Bakugou pushes himself to his feet, his hand landing in one of the dragon's footprints.

He looks around wearily. The massive creature is nowhere to be seen. He looks around, but there's not a single sign of the dragon. He hears a rustling from the forest. When he looks at the trees, Bakugou is surprised.

From the forest a boy appears with bright red hair. Trailing behind the boy are a pair of small red wings and a bright red tail that barely reaches the ground. 'Oh, you're awake,' the boy says as he flashes the blonde a toothy grin and quickly closes the distance between them.

'Who the fuck are you?' Bakugou growls, positioning himself in a fighting stance, his blade already drawn. 'Woah, calm down!' the red haired boy says, frowning slightly. 'My name is Ejiro Kirishima.' 'Why are you here?' Bakugou orders him.

'You helped me.' Bakugou raises an eyebrow at the boy. 'Ah, I forgot to explain! I'm a shapeshifter. That dragon form is my natural form, but I prefer this one. Humans hate me less like this.' Bakugou lowers his blade. 'You're the dragon?' he scoffs. It sounds insane, even for the world he lives in.

'I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.' Bakugou puts his blade back and stands up straight. 'One more question.' The red head cocks his head to the side. 'Why the fuck are you naked?'

A blush creeps onto Kirishima's face as he notices the state he's in. He quickly covers his private parts as he turns away from the other teen, obviously embarrassed. Something brushing against his shoulders makes him look around at Bakugou who's already pacing away. Kirishima wraps the cape firmly around his body as he moves back towards the blonde. Bakugou has already resumed to eating the leftovers from breakfast as Kirishima joins him.

'What's your name?' Kirishima eagerly asks. Bakugou glances up at him and then looks away. 'Katsuki Bakugou.' It remains painfully silent as the only sounds that can be heard are the both of them chewing on their food.

Bakugou can feel the boy's eyes prying on him. 'What do you want from me?' Bakugou growls under his breath, earning him a sheepish smile from the other boy. 'I don't know,' he replies sheepishly. 'Guess I just wanted to say thank you for looking after me.' Bakugou clicks his tongue and looks away. 'It's my duty.'

Kirishima cocks his head to the side as he takes a sip of water. 'Why?' Bakugou glances at him again. 'I'm a prince. My duty is to take care of everyone and everything in my kingdom.' Kirishima nods thoughtfully as he understands exactly what Bakugou means.

Bakugou gets to his feet and walks around Kirishima, pulling the cape off his shoulders to reveal the boy bare naked again. 'Ah! What are you doing!' Kirishima yells as he tries to get away, but Bakugou firmly plants his hands on the boy's shoulders, keeping him in place as he crouches down, his face inches from the redhead's body. 'I'm checking your injuries, sit still,' he orders.

Kirishima's face flushes equally red as he keeps the cape firmly in his lap. Bakugou slowly scrutinizes the injuries. Just as with the dragon's body, they've already begun healing, but there's still a long way to go.

Bakugou gets up again and starts packing the supplies back in his satchel, swinging it across his shoulder as he starts to move back towards camp. 'Wait, where are you going?' Kirishima asks as he scrambles after Bakugou. 'I'm going back to my home,' Bakugou simply replies, quickly looking over his shoulder to make sure Kirishima is following him.

'What am I supposed to do?' Kirishima fears for being abandoned again. He has only just begun to trust Bakugou and he doesn't want to feel alone anymore. Bakugou rolls his eyes. 'You're coming with me. You're injured, you need medical attention.'

Kirishima stares at him in surprise. Nobody had ever invited him along. 'Stop staring at me and hurry up, idiot,' Bakugou barks at him. The boy's tail wags slightly as he barks out a 'Yes!' and quickly catches up to Katsuki towards the town.


	3. Chapter 3

Kirishima sat on a makeshift bed as an elderly woman took care of him. It made him feel awkward. Before yesterday, he would barely interact with humans. Most of them disapproved of his existence, some even going as far as despising him for living at all. It wasn't something Kirishima could help. He was born half dragon, half human, it wasn't something he had chosen.

As they had entered the village that his new friend supposedly lived in, everybody turned to stare at him. Not at Bakugou, nobody would even dare to stare with disapproval at the prince, but all eyes were on Kiri. It made him feel embarrassed and at the same time he worried for what they'd do to Bakugou, knowing that he had brought a shapeshifter home.

Still, nobody had asked any questions as Bakugou strolled through the village with confidence, Kirishima trailing behind him with his head hanging low.

Bakugou had escorted him to their local healer and had requested a check-up. Without even second guessing the prince's request, the woman went to work.

Kirishima grit his teeth as the woman disinfected the wounds once again and started stitching up the skin to close the wounds. Kirishima looked around. The way that Bakugou was dressed, colorful necklaces around his neck, a fur lined cape, tribal markings scattered across his skin, Kirishima had expected a more primitive settlement.

He had heard of the tribes roaming around the kingdoms, settling wherever there was food and other supplies for them, moving on when those supplies ran out. He had expected one of those tribes, tents for living spaces, bonfires to roast their food on, everybody dressed in the same tribal like style, but it was the near exact opposite of that.

They were sitting inside a building made of stone and the medicines in the cabinets lining the room were neatly stored in glass vials and jars. The entire town was like this: houses were strewn around everywhere, the pathways were paved and everything seemed to have a designated place to be. It was nothing like the unorganized tribes Kirishima had in mind.

As he looks up at Bakugou, he notices that the he is staring at him. Upon noticing this, Bakugou immediately averts his gaze and stares out the window.

'You're ready,' the woman says and Kirishima immediately jumps off the table, walking over to Bakugou. He scratches his head as he grins a little. 'So, now what?' Bakugou raises an eyebrow at him. 'What do you mean?' Bakugou asks, turning to leave. Kirishima has to make bigger strides to keep up with him.

'I'm patched up now, so… there's no need for me to stay around now anymore, right?' he tentatively asks. Bakugou glances over his shoulder and then redirects his gaze forwards. After a couple of steps he stands still, making Kirishima crash into him. Kiri takes a step back and rubs his nose. When he looks up Bakugou is towering over him.

'You assumed that after you were better I'd ditch you?' Bakugou is glowering at Kirishima and it makes him feel uneasy. He takes a step back and scratches his head, his gaze downwards. 'I didn't really see a reason for why you'd want to have me around,' Kiri mutters.

He hears Bakugou click his tongue and footsteps moving away as he looks up. Bakugou is already walking ahead. Kirishima sprints to catch up to him, continuing to trail behind. All around him, Kirishima can feel the stares and hear the murmurs, but Bakugou seems unaffected.

Kirishima tries to talk to Bakugou multiple times while stalking after him, but every time he tries to open his mouth Bakugou kicks it up another gear and Kirishima has to jog to catch up.

The buildings seem to thin out and the path is becoming less paved until they're walking on grass. Kirishima looks around and notices that they've completely left the town behind. He wonders where they're going. Bakugou steals a glance over his shoulder as Kirishima is looking around at the area, satisfied that the dragon-boy is still following him.

The sky above them is clear and the sun is shining brightly. As Kirishima looks up it temporarily blinds him. He shields off his eyes with his hands and turns to look back at Bakugou, who seems to have disappeared.

Kirishima starts to look around frantically, not seeing a single sign of the blonde he was with just seconds earlier. 'I'm over here, you idiot,' a voice speaks up. Kiri picks up traces of an echo. Kirishima decides to follow the voice and peaks around the corner of the entrance to a cave that's hidden from view by the ivy hanging over it.

He pushes through the ivy, revealing the entire cave, a hollow structure filled with all kinds of things. At the far end of the cave he can see a bed and a table. On the other side is a crate that must be filled with different supplies.

Bakugou crouches down and rummages through the crate, pulling out several pieces of fabric. Without saying a word he stalks over to the red head, shoving the clothing in his hands and leaving him standing there with a confused look in his eyes. 'What are these?' Kiri asks as he turns to scrutinize the pieces of clothing.

'They're clothes.'

'Why?'

Bakugou glances back, his eyes scanning Kirishima's entire body from head to toe. Kiri glances down and notices that he's still bare naked, temporarily having forgotten that the only thing he was wearing was the cape Bakugou had given him.

Kirishima's face becomes nearly as red as his hair as he turns around, facing one of the cave walls, as he goes to put on the clothing he was given. When he's properly dressed he goes back over to the bed and plops down, watching Bakugou's back as he's placing some items back into the crate.

When Bakugou is done he closes the crate and latches it shut. As he turns around he can see Kirishima holding out his bright red cape for him. Bakugou snatches it out of his hands and drapes it around his shoulders again as he takes a seat on the floor, crossing his legs and staring at Kirishima. 'Now, tell me. What exactly are you?'

Kirishima gulps. How would someone explain something like this? 'I… I was born like this. My father… he was a dragon. My mom was just human. After I was born they realized I was half of either of them: half human, half dragon.'

Kirishima's gaze flickers up to see if he can read what Bakugou is thinking from his posture, but he's not revealing anything. Kirishima continues on. 'Having a mixed race child is a disgrace to dragons, so my dad left. My mom kept up pretty well with me until I started going through puberty. It isn't very easy to have a fire-spewing rebellious teenager in the house, you know,' he chuckled.

Bakugou narrows his eyes. Kirishima grins and scratches his head yet again. 'So, I left. I could see that I was just a burden to her and I was better off on my own, so I went to go see more of the world. I've travelled to all the kingdoms by now.'

'Why did you never stay anywhere?' Kirishima looks up, surprised. 'What?'

'You could've picked any place to stay, and yet you kept travelling. Why?'

Kirishima shrugs. He prefers not to think about all those encounters with others. Unconsciously Kirishima reaches back and takes a hold of his tail, his finger gliding along the scales. 'People don't really like me.'

Bakugou hunches over, glowering at Kiri. 'I can't really shift away my wings or my tail, so everyone has always been weary of me. Some saw me as a bad omen and chased me away. Others saw me as a challenge to be conquered and tried to kill me. So far you're the first person that's been kind to me.'

He stares down as he caresses his tail, softly stroking the scales, calming him down. Thinking back about those run-ins with people from all over the kingdoms makes him feel bad. All he wanted to do was travel and try to make friends, but everywhere he went he was seen as dangerous, a freak, something that should not stay around.

Bakugou huffs and leans back on his hands, staring at the ceiling. 'How about I go with you?' he speaks up. Kirishima looks up, surprised at the offer. 'What? Why?'

Bakugou shrugs, a disinterested look lingering on his face. 'I've been stuck in this place since forever. It's boring. I'm nothing more than a prince in name.' Kirishima's mouth drops open. Bakugou is a prince? It's something the blonde had failed to mention before. It makes Kiri feel a tad bit uneasy to face a royal this casually.

'I always go off, trying to get away from my faithful servants.' Bakugou rolls his eyes and huffs. 'I'd rather go explore the world. Seems like you're a great way to move around fast.'

Kirishima lets go of his tail and sits up straighter. 'Didn't you listen? I just told you that nobody in the entire world accepts me. If I take you with me I'll just put you in danger.'

'Hah?' Bakugou retorts, sitting up straight and staring Kirishima in the eye. 'Put me in danger? In which fucking reality?' Kirishima blinks a couple of times as he looks at the confident teen in front of him. Apparently he has no issues travelling around with a shapeshifting dragon that might cost him his life if he isn't careful.

'Look,' Bakugou says as he gets to his feet and drops down next to Kirishima on the bed, a little too close for Kirishima's comfort. 'If you take me with you, we'll both get what we want. I get to go out of this hell hole, and you'll have someone to protect you.'

'Protect me?' Kirishima is taken aback.

'Yeah, protect you. I can take care of myself and you, if needed. So, what do you say?' Bakugou reaches out his hand. Kirishima stares at it, not moving. Bakugou raises an eyebrow at him, wondering if maybe the guy wasn't looking for a companion to accompany him on his trips. Kirishima nods once, as if agreeing with himself, and then eagerly reaches out to grab Bakugou's hand and shake it.

'Let's go on an adventure.'


	4. Chapter 4

'What the hell do you mean, you're leaving!?' an angry voice booms across the hall.

Kirishima is standing at the edge of the room, his wings tucked in and fidgeting with his fingers as he keeps his gaze down.

'It means I'm getting the hell out of here, you old hag!' Bakugou snaps back. 'I'm tired of hanging around this place and doing nothing but learn about things I'm never even going to use!'

Kirishima looks up. It's a big room, made to hold dozens of people of necessary. The interior is too fancy for his taste, and it definitely seems too fancy as he eyes the people sitting on the thrones in the middle of the room. Bakugou's parent's, the king and queen of this kingdom, are both wearing clothes similar to Bakugou's: a primitive warrior style, clad with beads and intricate symbols. It doesn't match the classy furniture that's spread around the room.

'Please calm down, both of you,' the king's voice, Masaru, tries to soothe them, but Kirishima can see that both mother and son are _this_ close to making it a physical fight instead of a verbal one.

'You can't leave, you're the prince, the only heir! You're going to be of age next month and you'll be crowned! Isn't that what you want?' Mitsuki, the queen, says. Kirishima can see a vein in her neck pulsing and it seems like she has no intention of letting her son go anywhere.

Bakugou clicks his tongue. 'I don't fucking care. I never asked to be a prince anyways. I'm leaving.' With that, Bakugou turns around and starts walking over to Kirishima who is nearly trembling with fear of what they'll do when they discover that it's his fault their prince is leaving.

'If you leave now, you'll be disowned!' Mitsuki shouts. Bakugou catches up to Kirishima before looking over his shoulder and grinning. 'Go ahead, see if I care.'

He turns back around and takes a hold of Kirishima's wrist, pulling the red head along across the room and towards the giant doors leading them outside. Kirishima can hear the queen swearing and screaming behind them. He turns his head to look at her, but Bakugou mutters under his breath. 'Don't look back.' Kirishima obeys and gazes ahead as they stalk out of the courtyard towards their freedom.

As they wind through the streets he starts to feel a tad bit guilty. He's making Bakugou give up his home and everything he knows to accompany him on his journey. Kirishima quickly shakes the feeling off of him; Bakugou was the one that proposed to run away, he isn't at fault.

Bakugou's grip on Kirishima's wrist doesn't falter even a little until they reach the cave that they made their agreement in the previous night. After having agreed on the adventure, Bakugou had set out, leaving Kirishima behind on his own as he was gathering supplies so they could set off in the morning.

On return, Bakugou had tried to convince Kirishima to take off with him that night, leaving without telling anyone. It took Kiri a long time to convince him to do otherwise. Considering how the conversation just went, it might've been better to listen to Bakugou anyways.

What had surprised Kirishima the most, besides seeing the violent mother/son interaction from before, is that nobody really seemed to bat an eye at the fact that Bakugou dragged a half-human half-dragon into their castle. Sure, they had stared at him, but no one had said a word, not even his parents.

Maybe it was the fact that Bakugou was with him all the time, or maybe it was because this was simply a nicer country. If it was the latter, Kirishima would be sad to leave, but he convinced himself it was because of Bakugou's presence, refusing to tell himself anything else.

As they reached the entrance of the cave Bakugou finally lets go of Kirishima and moves towards the other end of the cave. Bakugou bends down to pick up a bag and slings it across his shoulder as he moves back towards Kirishima. 'Here,' he says, shoving a different bag into Kirishima's hands. He looks at it quizzically before slinging it across his shoulder as well.

Bakugou pushes the ivy aside and steps out of the cave, Kirishima following shortly. Instead of going back down the hill towards the town, Bakugou takes a right and moves uphill. Kirishima jogs to catch up, his tail swinging lightly after him.

'So, where are we heading?' he asks eagerly. Bakugou is staring ahead, panting softly from the steep climb. He shrugs. 'You know better than me.'

Kirishima looks down as he softly bites on his lip, thinking. He has seen quite a lot of places, but he doesn't quite remember which would be the best to take someone to. He hasn't really had the time to look around much as he would usually be chased away within a week at most.

'Wait, where are we actually going then?' Kirishima asks as he jogs to catch up again, having trailed behind when lost in thought. Bakugou looks around and raises an eyebrow. 'To an open area, where else?' He states it so matter-of-factly, as if what Kirishima just asked is so stupid, yet he can't quite understand why.

Bakugou can see the puzzled look on Kiri's face and sighs a little. He just hopes that he hasn't gotten stuck with an idiot. 'You can fly, right?' Bakugou asks. Kirishima nods. 'And when you're a dragon, you're massive as fuck,' Bakugou continues. 'Yeah, I'm pretty big,' Kirishima confirms. 'Then why would we go to an open area?'

Kirishima stares absentmindedly at Bakugou, still confused. All at once, the puzzle pieces fall into place. A small 'Oh' escapes Kiri's mouth as he looks at the ground again.

Bakugou can already see the plain he was heading for ahead of him and kicks it up a gear, making Kirishima pay attention again as he moves faster and tries to keep up with him. He might be a big mighty beast in his dragon form, his human form is still limited and sometimes it's agitating.

Kirishima takes the bag off his shoulder and hands it to Bakugou who eyes him with suspicion. Kirishima grins, suddenly feeling very awkward for having to shift in front of someone. He has always tried to hide when doing it, considering that to most it's pretty weird to see a human transform into a dragon or the other way around.

'Uhm,' Kirishima stammers, his face turning red as he realizes something. 'What?' Bakugou barks. 'I uh…,' he tries to start, but he isn't very fond of saying the words that are swimming around in his head. He knows he has to, there are certain limits to shapeshifting and this is one of them. Still, it's embarrassing. 'I can't shift while wearing clothes,' Kiri admits.

A small blush creeps on Bakugou's face. He composes his face and then swiftly turns around, facing the other way. 'Then hurry the fuck up, I want to get out of here before they send the freaking royal guards at us,' Bakugou says, trying to keep his voice in check but feeling a bit flustered as well.

Kirishima turns around, both of them now facing away from each other, as he quickly slips out of his clothes and tosses them aside. Kirishima looks over his shoulder at Bakugou who's only standing mere feet away.

'Could.. could you maybe move aside a bit?' Kirishima asks, feeling embarrassed in his undressed state. 'For your safety,' he adds.

Bakugou clicks his tongue and wants to snarl about safety, but makes the mistake of looking around and being faced with the bare naked backside of his new friend. He quickly takes a couple of steps forward.

'Don't look,' Kirishima warns him. The feeling of shifting is indescribable. To Kirishima, it feels like second nature. He has always been able to do this and he's grown so accustomed to it over the past few years that it's as easy for him as moving a limb.

Bakugou does as he's told and waits around, starting to grow impatient as a hot, wet breath is blown on his back. He looks around, standing face to face with the gigantic dragon he rescued just mere days ago. He can barely believe that this dragon and the happy redhead are the same person.

Bakugou moves forward and picks up Kirishima's clothes, stuffing them in one of the bags before making his way around the dragon. Kirishima looks around as Bakugou skillfully makes his way up, sitting himself down at the back of the dragon's neck.

Kirishima gets to his feet, and suddenly Bakugou feels very uncertain about the situation. The place he's sitting doesn't feel very secure and he has the terrible feeling that somewhere along the way he'll fall off. A strong wind from behind presses Bakugou against Kirishima's hard, red skin, and makes him grasp onto Kirishima's ruff for dear life.

Another couple of strong beatings of his wings and they have taken off. Kirishima is indulging in the fact he's able to fly again, while Bakugou is certain that this will be the first and last time he'll ever do this.

Even though he'd never admit it, Bakugou is terrified, but as they soar higher and higher and eventually end up on a steady height – far above the tree tops but still low enough for Bakugou to be able to breathe – Bakugou can't do anything but enjoy the view as they glide across the sky.

He wraps his cape tighter around his shoulders as the cold wind sends shivers down his spine, as he realizes that for the first time in forever, he feels alive.


	5. Chapter 5

Bakugou sat himself down as he was eyeing Kirishima who was hunched over a pile of sticks and leaves. The redhead slowly blew on it, as if trying to light a fire. 'You need to light it first,' Bakugou mocked him. Kirishima glared at the blonde and then looked back at the kindle.

He took a deep breath before blowing again, producing a tiny flame that set the whole bunch alight. Bakugou's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He quickly adjusted himself as to not show his companion, but Kirishima had already seen the look and was grinning to himself.

He crawled away from the fire and sat down as well, putting his hands out as he was slowly warming up from the heat source in front of him. He glanced over at Bakugou, who more than him seemed to need the extra warmth.

Kirishima had to suppress bursting out in laughter as he thought about the whole flying escapade they had this afternoon. He had taken them to a kingdom he wasn't very familiar with – he had only been there once before and was chased away within a day – and it had been about three hours by flight.

When Kirishima landed Bakugou was grateful, considering that adrenaline, fear and a lot of other endorphins were soaring through his veins. Also he was nearly frozen. The cape around his shoulders and his extraordinary body temperature had not helped against the whipping wind and the fact that so high above the ground the temperature dropped way lower than he expected, almost resulting in a Bakugou icicle.

Bakugou was grateful as he set foot on the ground again, except for the fact that his feet didn't meet the earth first, but his face did. His feet had become so cold that he could barely feel them and as he tried to slide down Kirishima's flank, he lost his footing and ended up face down in the dirt.

Kirishima had quickly shifted back, running to help Bakugou back to his feet as the blonde pushed him away with a cold hand and offered the redhead his clothes instead. Kirishima instantly felt a lot hotter from shame.

They had wandered around the area a bit, but the sun was already setting so they decided to set up camp. Kirishima was impressed with how much preparation Bakugou had done for their trip; not only had he brought spare clothes, extra food and medicine, there was also a tarp that could serve as a tent and blankets that would keep them warm at night.

'So,' Kirishima started as they finally settled in a bit, 'tell me more about you.' Bakugou raised an eyebrow at him. 'What more is there to tell than that I'm a spoiled royal that got tired of being served by mindless servants every day?'

Kirishima chuckled. 'Well, I know about your background now, but I don't know about you. What do you like, why do you want to travel.. why you're always angry,' he adds. Bakugou clicked his tongue and then looked up at the star filled sky. There wasn't really a lot interesting about him.

'I'm not angry,' he starts, 'just fed up with annoying ass kissers and people that lie to get their way.' He glances over at Kirishima. 'You have a lot of those back at the castle.'

'I can imagine,' Kirishima adds. Bakugou hunches over and crosses his arms as he stares at the flickering fire. The wood crackles and pieces of charcoal flutters around, landing on the ground as they give off a last bit of light before they get extinguished.

'I felt trapped. I was born and raised at the castle, so I have never known anything besides the luxury life I've been living, but I wanted more. I was taught a lot. "Prince has to know it all before he becomes a king", and all that crap,' Bakugou said, emphasizing his words with air quotes.

Kirishima stared intently as Bakugou talked, intrigued by his posture. Bakugou didn't seem annoyed, but not truly content either. It was a weird thing that he had never seen on anyone else before. He tucked his wings in and scooted closer to the campfire.

'They taught me about the ancient tribes. Some of them still exist. They travel and make way with what they find, fight whoever they need. It's a simple lifestyle, but also challenging. The castle was not.'

As Bakugou stares at the fire something in him clicks together. He has always felt different than anyone else at the court; he was wild, uncivilized and rude, as his teachers would say. He wasn't any of those, he just had a free spirit that he'd like to explore. Bakugou was meant to be a raging fire, not being tamed by anyone and just doing whatever he pleases. What he was molded into were the sparks that were flying around, a remnant of a fire that was extinguished quickly.

'I wanted to be free,' he says.

Kirishima nods as if understanding, but instead he was the exact opposite. After running away from home he had had all the freedom he ever wished for, but at the same time he never had a home. He wishes that he could someday find a place where he could stay forever and be accepted just as he is, but for now that seemed nothing but a fleeting dream.

'Why did you rescue me?' Kirishima blurts out. Bakugou looks up at him. 'Why are you asking?' he says, his annoyed tone back in his voice. Kirishima's face has flushed red, but because of the dark it is unnoticeable. 'It seems like a hassle and uhm.. kinda dangerous.. to get involved with a dragon that's.. injured,' Kirishima says, trying to piece his words together. Bakugou simply shrugs. 'I saw someone that needed help, I helped. You were in my kingdom and it's my duty to help my people.'

'Even if you don't like being a prince.' Bakugou glances over at Kirishima who is looking at him. 'Even if I don't like it,' he reaffirms.

Bakugou gets to his feet to retrieve one of the bags he was carrying. When he returns he tosses a package onto Kirishima's lap. Kirishima looks at him with curiosity, then back at the package as he unwraps it, revealing a piece of bread. He smiles brightly as he digs in, his eating sounds so loud that it should annoy Bakugou, but instead he's kind of endeared by it.

'Any idea how far the next town is?' Bakugou asks as he takes a bite of his piece as well. Kirishima swallows his food before answering. 'Yeah, should be about half a day.'

Bakugou nods as he chews his bread, thinking about what next steps to make. Their best bet was to move towards the town first to stock up on more food supplies, considering most of the things he grabbed are perishable, get a map and then set out on the journey he was hoping he could make someday.

Bakugou was never really the kind of person to heed his parents' orders, and the thought of leaving had occurred many times before he had even met Kirishima, yet somehow he never had. Meeting Kirishima had made him make the final decision to leave, and he was glad the redhead had accepted his offer.

As he ate the last piece of his bread he got to his feet and turned to fetch some water to put out the fire. Kirishima, understanding his intentions, got to his feet and moved towards their makeshift tent, laying down on the rough ground and tucking the blanket in at all sides to provide extra warmth. Not soon after that Bakugou laid down next to him, his back to Kirishima as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

'Hey, Bakugou,' Kirishima said. Bakugou opened one eye and looked over his shoulder. 'Let's get some proper sleeping equipment tomorrow.' Bakugou grumbled and turned back around again, but a smile was tugging at his lips.

'Fine. But you're paying!'


	6. Chapter 6

Kirishima can feel every eye turned to him. It makes him feel extremely uncomfortable. He tries to tuck his wings in further, but they're already as small as they can possibly be. He looks ahead at Bakugou who is striding through the village with confidence, head held high and a steady pace as Kirishima tries to keep up with him.

The previous night had been long, cold and uncomfortable. Their makeshift tent and blankets had barely done anything to ward off the cold and Kiri had unconsciously inched closer to Bakugou to try to get a little warmer. Waking up with Kirishima's face inches from his, Bakugou had started to insist himself that they'd buy better sleeping supplies.

After packing everything they had headed off to the village north of their camp place. As Kirishima had said, the trek to the nearest city, Nevema, was only about half a day. That was, if you took the correct route.

When meeting a fork in the road, Kirishima had insisted on taking the left one while Bakugou had argued to take the right path. Being stubborn as he was, Kirishima had already headed off, leaving Bakugou no room to linger behind and follow before the idiot got himself in trouble, leading them into a two-hour detour and a very agitated blonde.

'Hurry up,' Bakugou snarled, looking over his shoulder at Kirishima who was sulking. Kirishima felt the intense urge to lay his ears flat against his neck out of pure anxiety, but of course that wasn't possible in his human form.

Keeping his eyes on the ground, he didn't notice that Bakugou had stopped in the middle of the road, making the red-head crash straight into his chest. 'Ow,' Kirishima exclaimed, rubbing his nose before looking up into Bakugou's crimson eyes.

Bakugou looked down, staring questioningly at his companion. 'What's wrong,' he demanded. Kirishima averted his gaze. 'Nothing.' Bakugou raised an eyebrow at him. 'I'm not moving before you tell me.'

Bakugou was growing tired of Kirishima's slow pace when they had so much left to discover. At this rate they'd spend two days before exiting this village, and Bakugou really wasn't up for that. 'It's just..,' Kirishima starts, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. 'Everyone is staring at me.'

Bakugou glanced up and around, and he could indeed see everyone's gaze fixated on the both of them. Groups of people had gathered together, murmuring and whispering, probably spreading rumors that weren't true.

Bakugou clicked his tongue. He shot a couple glares at the people, making them flinch unwillingly as they turned away. He then turned back to Kirishima who was hunched over. 'Don't pay attention to them, they aren't worth it.' Kirishima could feel the wind of the whipping cape on his arms as Bakugou turned around and moved forward towards the center of the town.

Kirishima tried to gather all his courage and stood a little more upright, his wings stretched a little farther, more comfortable and slightly intimidating to the bystanders. It was a good way to stop their whispers as they passed by.

Kirishima felt both better and a little bit guilty as he saw the people whimper in fear as he passed by, but at least they weren't chasing him away. Not with Bakugou by his side.

The sound of a bell ringing brings Kirishima's thoughts back to the present as he follows Bakugou inside one of the town's stores. The red-head looks around in awe; he had never seen anything like this.

The store was gigantic, probably three times as big as the one back in Bakugou's village, and it was lined with wooden cabinets that seemed to be neatly aligned into aisles, chock-full of products on every shelf. 'Hi, can I help you?'

Kirishima looks around to see a boy with black hair standing behind the counter. The guy is dressed in normal attire with a pair of brown pants and a brown gilet over a white blouse. He looks extremely ordinary.

Bakugou wastes no time and walks up to him. 'We're looking for supplies to keep us warm at night and non-perishable foods.' The boy smiles. 'Good thing we have a lot of those. Follow me.'

The boy walks out from behind the counter and beckons both of the others to follow him as they wind through the aisles to the back of the store. In front of one of the shelves he stands still, waving at it with a typical salesmen smile.

Bakugou steps forward and goes to scrutinize the supplies that are on the shelves, listening intently as the boy explains some things. Not soon after being done with explaining the location of the other supplies they needed, the bell that announces a new customer rang again.

'Just come to me when you need anything else,' the black-haired boy says before returning to the counter to help the other customers. When Kirishima looks back around he can see Bakugou standing on his toes, reaching for something on the top shelf.

'Hold this,' Bakugou grunts before slamming something against Kirishima's chest, making him stagger a little. Kirishima looks down at his hands questioningly. It just seems like an ordinary blanket, like the ones they already have, but when he goes to feel the fabric it is much softer and already feels a lot warmer than the sorry excuse for cover they had the night before. Without a word Bakugou turns around to go to another aisle so they can stock up on food as well.

After grabbing as much as they could possibly hold they head back to the counter. When they get closer they can hear two voices talk excitedly. Kirishima can see the black-haired boy talking to another customer, a boy with green hair, dressed in a green pullover and the same type of casual brown pants as the store-owner was wearing.

'It took me ages before she agreed to let me go but today is finally the day!' the green-haired boy squeaks. Bakugou looks over at Kirishima and raises an eyebrow at him. Kirishima smirks in response. 'So I just need the supplies and then I can head off.'

The black-haired boy nods. 'I'll go gather everything you need, just wait here.' As the boy leaves Bakugou moves forward and dumps all of the food on the counter, growing tired of carrying it. The green-haired boy nearly jumps a foot into the air.

'Ah! I'm sorry, am I holding you up?' he asks, a soft blush on his cheeks. 'Yeah, we kinda need to get going,' Bakugou replies. Kirishima puts the blankets down on the counter as well as he reaches out to put a hand on Bakugou's shoulder. 'Don't worry, we aren't in a hurry,' he tells the green-haired boy with a smile. The boy's eyes flicker over to their supplies and then back at them. 'Are you going out on an adventure as well?'

Kirishima's tail starts to wag slightly in excitement. He pushes himself in front of Bakugou, who simply grunts and turns away from the both of them. 'Yeah, you too?' The green-haired boy nods. 'I've been wanting to go on an adventure my entire life, but my mom never let me, but yesterday I've come of age and she promised that if I still wanted to go then, she'd agree. So, here we are!'

Kirishima can see the glint in the boy's eyes and it makes him experience second-hand excitement for the first time in his life. 'Oh, my name is Izuku Midoriya, by the way!' Kirishima reaches out his hand. 'I'm Ejiro Kirishima, and this here is my friend Katsuki Bakugou. Nice to meet you!'

Midoriya reaches forward and grabs Kirishima's hand with both of his, shaking it more roughly than necessary. Kirishima supposes the boy really can't contain his excitement for his travels.

After a while the black-haired boy comes back, a bag in his hands that's stuffed to the brim. 'Ah, thank you Sero!' Midoriya says as he takes the bag from him. He immediately tries to sling it over his shoulders, almost tipping over at the weight.

Kirishima whips his head around as he hears a weird sound coming from behind him, and he swore he had just heard Bakugou smirk, though the blonde shows no signs of it.

Midoriya sticks one hand into his pocket as he rummages for his wallet, carefully laying down coin after coin until the black-haired boy, apparently named Sero, says that it's fine. 'Don't forget to check the map I gave you, okay?' Sero emphasizes. 'I won't!' Midoriya replies.

As soon as Midoriya turns away from the counter Bakugou goes to pay for their supplies, but Kirishima's curiosity is still too high to just let the green-haired boy go. 'So where are you actually going?' Midoriya looks up as he pushes the contents back into the bag after retrieving the map. When getting to his feet he unfolds the map and Kirishima scoots over so he can look over the boy's shoulder.

'I was thinking of going to Arleda in the north. I heard it's really pretty, but I'm not really sure yet. I'm kind of scared to go on my own. It's the first time I'll go anywhere without my mom.' Kirishima starts to feel sympathy for the boy. He knows how hard it is to want to go on an adventure but being too afraid to do so. Suddenly, he gets an idea, and it might cost him his head, but he wants to try anyways.

'Hey, Bakugou!' Kirishima speaks up. Bakugou looks over his shoulder at the red-head, already glaring. 'How about we accompany him to Arleda?' Bakugou snatches the bag of supplies from the counter before stalking over to where the two of them are standing. 'Hell no.'

Bakugou reaches out, latching his hand around Kirishima's wrist and dragging him out of the store. He can barely hear Sero calling out to them to come back if they like before he's stumbling across the town's square towards the northern paths again. 'Why not?' Kirishima whines as he tries to pull himself loose. It was really rude of Bakugou to just cut off the conversation like that. 'I already have you to take care of, don't need another trouble-prone idiot.'

Kirishima pouts. Bakugou might be a prince, but Kirishima wasn't born in his kingdom. Out of pure defiance he stops holding his wings back and lets them span widely, casting a huge shadow on the ground beneath them.

Bakugou lets go of him and looks back, eyebrows raised. He hadn't expected Kirishima to put his foot down on something so seemingly insignificant. Behind him, Kirishima can hear an audible gasp, but it doesn't sound fearful. He glances over, seeing Midoriya standing there, mouth agape and eyes wide open, staring at the nearly six feet spanning red wings that are protruding from Kirishima's back.

'You're a shapeshifter?' he squeals. Heat is starting to rush to Kirishima's face as he realizes what he has just done. Spreading his wings like that is usually seen as a sign of threat, and to do it in the middle of the town… He wonders why Bakugou isn't mad at him yet.

Midoriya slips out his bag, letting it fall to the ground, rattling all the contents as he rushes over to inspect the red translucent wings. Kirishima feels a little gawked at as the boy circles around him, and Bakugou simply watches in amusement as Kirishima has to suffer the consequences of his own actions, although it are not the consequences Bakugou was expecting.

'I've read about people like you, well, not exactly you, but, people that could shapeshift, but I've never actually seen one! That is so cool. So are you half dragon, half human? Or half lizard? I'm not really sure what you're supposed to be... Those wings looks so sturdy and.. oh my gosh you have a tail too! How did I not notice this back in the shop? Ugh, I'm so oblivious at times!'

Slowly Kirishima starts to retract his wings, not wanting to gain more attention from everyone in town. He can see Midoriya pout a little, his hand lingering in the air as if wanting to touch them.

'Could you please quiet down?' Kirishima asks. Midoriya's gaze flickers over from his wings to Kirishima's face and only then notices the pleading expression in his eyes. 'Oh,' is all Midoriya says. 'I'm so sorry.'

Kirishima sighs. Bakugou moves closer, putting a hand on the small of Kiri's back and urging him to move. 'Let's just get out of this town for now, okay?' Bakugou says. Kirishima's gaze is on the ground. 'Yeah.'

'W-wait!' Kirishima stops in his track and looks back at Midoriya who is picking his bag up from the ground. 'I actually wanted to ask something! That's why I came after you.'

'Let's go, Kirishima,' Bakugou insists, pressing on, but Kirishima stays grounded. Midoriya is looking at the ground, fidgeting with his gloves. 'Uhm.. could you maybe take me with you? Just for a little while, I promise! We could help each other?'

Kirishima starts to beam. 'See, I told you he wanted to come with us!' he tells Bakugou. 'You didn't say shit.' Kirishima grins widely at Midoriya before slinging an arm across his shoulder. 'Sure you can tag along!'

'I don't want him to come with us!' Bakugou growls. Kirishima lets go of Midoriya and places himself square in front of Bakugou. He stands tall, pushing his chest out as a show of confidence.

'I want him to come with us,' he tells Bakugou. 'He'll only be with us for a small part of the journey and he needs our help. What happened to helping everyone?' Bakugou clicks his tongue. 'I only said I'd help everyone in _my_ kingdom.'

Midoriya open his mouth, ready to ask a stream of questions, but Kirishima waves at him as to say "not now". 'The only way you can travel around is with _me_ , and if you don't let me take him with us, then I won't go with you either.' Kirishima crosses his arms and purses his lips.

Bakugou is starting to get angry. Who the hell does this half-assed dragon think he is, commanding a royal around like that? But Kirishima is right, he needs the red-head to show him around the kingdoms, and he has started to like his companionship. However weird their relationship is, he wouldn't leave him behind.

Even though Bakugou hates to lose a stand-off like this, he decides to give in. He releases the tension in his shoulder and grimaces. 'Fine! But he'll fend for himself if anything happens, I won't take responsibility.'

Even though Bakugou seems agitated with the adding of a new person to their party, Kirishima can tell that if push comes to shove, he'll protect both of them. To Kirishima, Bakugou is an interesting person, someone who doesn't show what his true intentions are on the surface and that will only show them once there is a mutual bond of respect and trust.

He knows that he isn't completely on that level yet, but he hopes to be someday. He truly finds the blonde intriguing.

Kirishima turns to Midoriya and slings an arm around his shoulder again as Bakugou leads the way. 'So where are you taking us, Midoriya?' he asks. 'T-to Arleda,' the boy says, sounding a bit shaken by the exchange. 'I have a f-friend there who'll travel with me from there on.'

'Do you know the way there?'

Both Kirishima and Midoriya look up at Bakugou who isn't showing any signs of having just spoken. Midoriya reaches back to try to get the map out of one of the side pockets of his bag. Kirishima turns to help him. 'It should be about two days up north, if we follow the right paths,' Midoriya says upon scrutinizing it.

'Then lead.'

Midoriya looks up, face getting flushed. 'I-I c-can't lead! I don't even know where I'm going!' Bakugou looks over his shoulder at the boy who flinches at the glare. 'You have the map. You know where we're going. You lead.' With that, Bakugou slows down until Kirishima and Midoriya have passed them, giving them the advantage to lead the way.

Midoriya seems nervous as he tries to fold the map again, handing it to Kirishima to put it back in his bag. Kirishima grins as he begins to wonder if Midoriya is going to regret his request, when the boy speaks up. 'Can I ask you a couple of questions?' Kirishima looks aside, that glimmer of excitement from before back in Midoriya's eyes, completely shoving aside all fear and anxiety he had just a moment ago. Kirishima flashes him his biggest smile. 'Go ahead.'

'What exactly are you?'

* * *

Hi there ^_^ Sorry for not uploading last week, to make up for it I made this week's chapter twice as long as usual! Fact is, I'm struggling with this story, like, a lot, but I know you guys love it and I'm trying to push forward and make this a story worth reading anyways, so I apologize in advance if sometimes I just don't upload cause I'm stuck but I PROMISE I won't leave this story hanging! I never leave an unfinished story behind, you have my word on that! Now have a lovely day ^^


	7. Hiatus notice

Hey guys...

It pains me very much to write this, but I'm gonna have to put this story on hiatus.

I'm just not happy with what I'm doing story-wise and it feels bad to make something I'm not happy with.

Also my personal life is asking more and more time from me, so I just can't muster the motivation to write this one at the moment.

I do still very much like the concept, so I'm going to finish up the other two I'm writing and then see if I'll get back to this one.

Maybe I'll get back here, maybe I'll start anew, but I _will_ come back to The Prince's Dragon.

In the meantime, my other stories will keep going, and I hope to see you guys in a while.


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